Monday, November 25, 2024

A Fatal Feast at Bramsford Manor

Title: A Fatal Feast at Bramsford Manor
Author: Darci Hannah
Published: August 20, 2024 by Kensington Cozies
Format: Kindle, Hardcover 320 Pages
Genre: Amateur Sleuth
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Food & Spirits Mysteries #1

First Sentence: Food, to a people-pleaser like Bridget “Bunny” MacBride, was a powerful medium.

Blurb: While filming at a haunted English manor, chef Bunny MacBride’s big break on her first reality TV show may be cut short by an unscripted murder in Darci Hannah’s new Food & Spirits cozy mystery series . . . It isn’t how chef Bridget “Bunny” MacBride imagined her own cooking show unfolding. But, if preparing historic meals with a modern flair is what it takes to get her cooking on the air, she can deliver, even if her dinner guest is a ghost. That’s the premise of the new reality TV show Food & Spirits, where Chef Bunny teams up with ghost hunter Brett Bloom and psychic medium Giff McGrady to visit haunted locales around the world and tempt lingering spirits back to the table with a beloved meal. For their first episode, the Food & Spirits team sets off to investigate Bramsford Manor, a historic house turned famously haunted hotel, in picturesque Hampshire, England. The sprawling estate is said to be home to the Mistletoe Bride, a young woman who died in the 18th century, the victim of a tragic accident on her Christmas wedding night. Disliking spooks but loving food, Bunny leaves the spectral search to the pros and focuses on the feast, creating a traditional English holiday wedding dinner, complete with a gorgeous prime rib, Yorkshire pudding, and rustic apple tarts. It’s a sumptuous meal she hopes will entice the ghostly Mistletoe Bride to take a seat and join them while the cameras roll. But Bunny’s task is made more difficult when someone steals a boning knife from her custom kit. Alas, when the blade finally turns up again—in the chest of an all-too-human dinner guest—Bunny’s woes only grow as she is named a lead suspect in the case! Now, with a haunted house full of living residents, staff, and crew, Bunny will need the help of Brett, Giff, and her clairvoyant Grandma Mac, to solve this murder before the manor gains another ghost!

My Opinion: Starting Darci Hannah's new series, A Fatal Feast at Bramsford Manor, was a bit of a gamble for me since I tend to enjoy one series by an author and rarely any additional series they write. But the book kicked off with an intriguing premise that had me hooked initially. However, it lost momentum midway, with a slow pace and too many characters making the plot feel cluttered.

Bunny McBride, the protagonist, is a Scottish chef roped into hosting a new food and spirits travel show—though it turns out "spirits" means ghosts, not drinks! Bunny's journey is filled with humor and a touch of the supernatural, with a nod to Hannah’s Beacon Bakeshop series that will make fans smile.

The story introduces a quirky cast, including a white rabbit guiding Bunny to a body, and Granny Mac, Bunny's eccentric and spiritually gifted grandmother, who steals the show with her wit and wisdom.

Bunny's struggles with her past and her unexpected ghostly encounters add depth, but the plot gets bogged down with redundant elements. By the end, the murder mystery takes a backseat to the array of characters and ghostly antics.

A Fatal Feast at Bramsford Manor had a promising start with its unique blend of mystery and supernatural elements. Despite its slow middle section, the book offers humor and intriguing characters, especially Granny Mac. It’s worth a read for fans of quirky cozy mysteries, but it might not be everyone's cup of tea.

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